Alexander Karelin: biography, sporting achievements. Greco-Roman wrestling. Alexander Alexandrovich Karelin biography Karelin is a hero of the Russian Federation for what

Awards and medals

Alexander Aleksandrovich Karelin(born September 19, 1967, Novosibirsk) - an outstanding Russian wrestler of the classical (Greco-Roman) style, statesman and political figure, deputy of the State Duma of the VI convocation from the United Russia party, member of the State Duma Committee on international affairs. (), Hero of Russia ().

Triple Olympic champion in the category up to 130 kg (1988, 1992, 1996), nine-time world champion (1989-1991, 1993-1995, 1997-1999), 12-time European champion (1987-1991, 1993-1996, 1998-2000), silver winner Olympic Games 2000, world junior champion in 1988, 13-time champion of the USSR, CIS and Russia (1988-2001). Cup Winner Absolute champion world" 1989. Four times awarded the "Golden Belt" as the best wrestler on the planet - in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994. Winner of the IV international tournament “For the prizes of Alexander Karelin” (1995). Five-time winner of the international tournament in memory of Ivan Poddubny. Recognized twice best athlete Russia.

Sports career

Start

Alexander Karelin at the age of 13 (his height was 178 cm, weight 78 kg) began playing sports in his hometown of Novosibirsk. In 1981, he enrolled in the classical wrestling section at. Karelin’s first coach, Viktor Kuznetsov, remained his only mentor throughout sports life. In 1985, the first success came - Karelin became the world champion among youth.

In 1982, he took 3rd place in the Novosibirsk city championship among youths, in 1983 - 1st place in the city championship among youths, 1st place in the Russian Burestnik championship, 2nd place in the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions championship among youths, 2nd place in the Burevestnik Central Council championship, in 1984 - 1st place in the RSFSR championship among youths (born 1966-67). In 1985, Karelin won victories at the All-Union Junior Guards Memorial Tournament (born 1966-67), an international tournament in Belarus, the USSR Junior Championships (born 1965-66), and the World Junior Championships ( born 1965-67). This year I fulfilled the standard of an international master of sports.

In 1986, Karelin won the following competitions:

• USSR Championship among juniors.
• IV Summer Spartakiad of the Peoples of the RSFSR.
• International tournament in memory of Ivan Poddubny.
• Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.
• European Junior Championship (born 1966-67).
• RSFSR Championship.

Results in 1987:

• 2nd place at the USSR Championship, lost in last time- Igor Rostorotsky with a score of 0-1
• 1st place at the European Championships
• 1st place at the World Cup
• 1st place at the RSFSR Championship

Winner of the Fair Play Prize for fair play in sports based Olympic Committee Russia, laureate of the title “Siberian of the Year”, established by the “New Siberian Newspaper” (1993 and 1995).

Since 1992, wrestling tournaments for Karelin prizes have been held in Russia.

In Novosibirsk there is sport Club Alexandra Karelina.

In 1993, at the World Championships, in the first fight with M. Ghaffari, A. Karelin injured two ribs, but after 20 minutes he again went on the mat with T. Johansson, who already knew about his injury. Karelin later said:

Work and social activities

Alexander Karelin graduated from the Novosibirsk Motor Transport College, then. Since 1995, Alexander Karelin has been an employee of the Russian tax police. Rank: Tax Police Colonel.

Since 2001, Alexander Karelin has been a member of the Supreme Council of the United Russia party.

Hero of the Russian Federation (1997), awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1989), Honor (2001), “For Services to the Fatherland” IV degree (2008).

He owns many enterprises in the construction industry, sand quarries, beaches, and is also a co-owner of the Ilit cellular communication company. In addition, Alexander Karelin has his own Alexander Karelin Foundation and controls a network of night clubs and bars.

Family

Alexander Karelin dedicated all his victories to his wife Olga. His family has three children: sons Denis and Ivan, daughter Vasilisa. Son Ivan is involved in Greco-Roman wrestling, daughter Vasilisa is involved in rhythmic gymnastics. Alexander Karelin’s parents lived in Sedovaya Zaimka for a long time.

Information about income and property

According to official data, Karelin’s income for 2011 amounted to 3.1 million rubles. Karelin and his wife own two land plots with a total area of ​​15 thousand square meters, a residential building with an area of ​​more than a thousand square meters, 7 cars and 3 motorcycles.

As you know, Russia has had very strong wrestlers since ancient times. The school of classical wrestling began to develop especially dynamically during the period of Soviet power, focusing on sports and physical education. Special attention. One of these people who can be safely considered to be the “golden” generation domestic sports, is Alexander Karelin. The biography of this athlete will be discussed in detail in this article.

Birth and beginning of sports

An outstanding world-class wrestler was born on September 19, 1967 in the city of Novosibirsk. Alexander became interested in Greco-Roman wrestling at the age of fourteen. Karelin began training in a section of the Novosibirsk Electrotechnical Institute (sports society “Burevestnik”). After only three years of training, he was able to fulfill the standard of a Master of Sports of the USSR, and a year later he became a Master of Sports of international class.

Education and scientific work

In 1985, Alexander Karelin, whose biography is a worthy example for the younger generation, graduated from a motor transport technical school in his hometown and decided to become a cadet in the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. From the same year he served in the internal troops and represented Dynamo. Also in 2001, the future Olympic champion graduated from the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

Karelin proved himself not only as a strong athlete, but also as a researcher in the field sports science. In 1998 he defended candidate's thesis, the topic of which was: “Methodology for conducting countermeasures against deflection throws.” Her defense took place at the St. Petersburg Academy of Physical Culture named after P. F. Lesgaft. This scientific work is still an excellent practical guide for many Russian wrestlers.

In 2002, Karelin defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic “System integral training highly qualified fighters." This unique study is based on analytical work that was carried out over 10 years with more than 400 athletes participating in the national team. During it, algorithms were formulated to achieve a harmonious combination of physical and psychological conditions, moral and volitional qualities, and factors influencing the achievement of strategic goals and maintaining the tactical pattern of the fight were studied. Based on the results of this scientific work, Alexander Karelin concluded: an athlete who is unable to control himself and demonstrates a lack of emotional stability shows unsatisfactory results in competitions. Some modern experts in the world of sports believe that Karelin’s dissertation can help develop the “formula” of an ideal wrestler.

So our Russian hero is not only physically strong, but also very smart. In a word, San Sanych is an intellectual who worthily defends the colors of the flag of his Motherland.

First sporting success

Alexander Karelin (his biography commands respect even from his opponents) can call victory at the World Youth Championship in 1985 his first sporting achievement. This achievement was made possible thanks to his perseverance, diligence and determination. This is also largely the merit of his coach, Viktor Kuznetsov, who, by the way, remained his only mentor for his entire sports life.

Already on next year Karelin wins such competitions as:

• Championship Soviet Union among juniors.
• Summer Spartakiad of the peoples of the RSFSR.
• International tournament dedicated to the memory of Ivan Poddubny.
• USSR Spartakiad.
• Junior European Championship.
• RSFSR Championship.

Successes in 1987

At the age of 20, Alexander was able to take first place at the European Championship, win the World Cup, and become the best at the RSFSR Championship. At the USSR Championship he took second place, losing to the leader of the team, two-time world champion Igor Rostorotsky (the score of the fight was 0:1).

Best in the USSR

Alexander Karelin was able to become the champion of the Union for the first time (the biography of the wrestler is available to everyone today) in 1988. And this despite the fact that at the time of the tournament the wrestler had a concussion and had a fever. It was then that he defeated the recognized leader of the national team, Igor Rostorotsky, for the first time. However, the coaching staff of the USSR national team decided to give the two candidates, before going to the Olympics in Seoul, another opportunity to find out who (Rostorotsky or Karelin) is most worthy of representing the country at the main competitions of the four years. The most important fight took place at the tournament in Romania, which Karelin convincingly won.

First Olympics

In 1988, Alexander Alexandrovich Karelin went to the Olympics in Seoul. On solemn ceremony opening Karelin was the standard bearer of the USSR national team. In the final fight, the Soviet heavyweight met with the representative of Bulgaria, Rangel Gerovski. In the first period, our hero lost with a score of 2:3, but 45 seconds before the end of the fight he was able to perform his favorite “reverse belt” technique and win his first Olympic gold.

Olympics in Barcelona

In 1992, Alexander Karelin again qualified for the Olympics. And just like that, the fate of the gold medal was decided in a matter of moments. True, this time it happened at the beginning of the main fight. In the final, San Sanych met with the legendary Swedish athlete Thomas Johansson. The Scandinavian wrestler could not last even two minutes. Thus, Karelin became a two-time winner of the Olympic Games. The total time that Karelin spent in all fights at the Barcelona Olympics does not exceed 8 minutes.

1993 World Championship

Looking ahead, we note that the tournament was won by Alexander Karelin. The fight with the first opponent is worth describing separately.

In the first round of the competition, the Russian met with US wrestler Matt Ghaffari. According to Karelin himself, while leading by 2 points, he injured two ribs while performing a rollover. Moreover, the lower one literally came off, and the second one, located nearby, broke. These two small bones put pressure on the liver during the struggle, and therefore Alexander constantly felt the sharp taste of bile. However, in the end I was able to win with a score of 2:0. But the hardest test was ahead...

20 minutes after the meeting with the American, the Russian wrestler took to the mat against Thomas Johansson, already known to us. Karelin immediately went on the attack and became active. The Swede was put on the ground, and Karelin performed his “reverse belt”. Then Karelin continued to attack, but in one of the episodes he “failed”, his broken ribs jammed, he did not have time to straighten up in time and went off the mat, the referees awarded 1 point in favor of Johansson. Karelin found himself on the ground, but defended himself reliably, and by continuing the fight in a standing position he became active again. Now Johansson found himself on the ground, but could not resist Karelin’s onslaught - two “reverse belts” and a crushing score of 12:1 in favor of the Siberian.

Alexander Karelin, a champion of many competitions, played his next fights at the tournament more calmly and confidently, and in the final he was able to win cleanly against the Bulgarian athlete Sergei Mureiko.

The injury took a long time to heal. For two and a half months, Alexander could not just fight, but even run. Moreover, breathing in a calm state was also difficult.

Continuing his wrestling career

The following years were also successful for Karelin. He became the world champion in 1994 and 1995, helping to defeat the Russian team in a match against the world team. In the fall of 1995, he won a tournament named after him, held in Novosibirsk. Opposing him in the final was Matt Ghaffari, already known to us. But it is especially worth talking about the 1996 European Championship.

During this tournament, Karelin encountered a serious problem: he suffered a tear of the pectoralis major muscle, which led to a hematoma weighing one and a half kilograms. This resulted in the athlete being unable to act right hand. In such a situation, in fact, the Russian had nothing to hope for, but he did the impossible - he won the competition! After the final, he underwent surgery, which lasted two hours.

Alexander himself said a little later that the Hungarian doctors gave him disappointing forecasts regarding his recovery. But the Russian team doctor, Valery Sergeevich Okhapkin, helped Karelin recover as quickly as possible. Already in 1996, he again became (for the third time) an Olympic champion, which was surprising in itself, given the severity of this sport.

Last Olympics

The dramatic finale of the Sydney Olympics left many wrestling fans in shock. Alexander Karelin (his height is 191 cm) lost to Rulon Gardner in the fight for first place. The first period of the match ended with the score 0:0. According to the rules in force at that time, the athletes were placed in a cross grip. The referee considered that the Russian was the first to unclench his hands, and awarded one point to the American, which gave him the opportunity to defeat the famous Russian. As a result, Karelin lost for the first time in 13 years of his career and won a silver medal. His defeat was a disappointment for many fans, but the team eventually took first place as a team.

According to Alexander Alexandrovich Karelin himself, the defeat occurred due to emotional devastation. He had no desire to make excuses, believing that such behavior would only humiliate him. In any case, three gold and one silver for sports career- a result that is currently unattainable for any other current fighter in the world.

Fight with the Japanese

In 1999, the Russian was offered to fight according to the rules of the then nascent mixed martial arts. The confrontation "Alexander Karelin - Maeda" was seen by millions of viewers around the world. By the way, prize fund was equal to a simply colossal amount for those times: one million US dollars. But since Karelin did not have the right to compete for money, the fight took place without reward.

February 20, 1999. Alexander Karelin's fight with the Japanese. According to pre-agreed rules, the Russian wrestler had no right to strike and had to use exclusively wrestling techniques. For some time, the representative of the Land of the Rising Sun actively used kicks and kept the Russian at a distance, but ultimately Karelin was still able to perform his signature “reverse belt” and win the fight. After the fight, the Japanese needed the help of seconds to leave the ring and get to the locker room. And this despite the fact that not a single blow was struck against him!

Life today

These days, Alexander Karelin, for whom the family plays a dominant role in life, continues to actively work for the benefit of society. He lives in Novosibirsk. In 1998 he was recognized as an honorary citizen of his hometown. He has a wife, two sons and a daughter, Vasilisa.

Alexander Karelin’s son, Ivan, is also involved in wrestling and in 2015 fulfilled the norm for Master of Sports of Russia. The daughter of the hero of our article, Vasilisa, is a master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics.

Karelin served in the Federal Tax Police Service of Russia from December 1995 to December 1999. Alexander resigned due to the fact that he took the post of deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation (December 1999). In total, Karelin was elected to the State Duma 5 times.

Awards: Gold Star of the Hero of Russia, Order: Friendship of Peoples, Honor, “For Services to the Fatherland”, IV degree. In 2013 he was awarded by the President of the Russian Federation.

By the way, Karelin is one of the twenty-five best athletes in the whole world in the twentieth century. He stands on a par with such legendary personalities as Pele and Larisa Latynina.

Sports achivments:
1996 Olympic Games - gold
1992 Olympic Games - gold
1988 Olympic Games - gold

Date of birth: 09.19.1967

Alexander Karelin began playing sports in his hometown of Novosibirsk. In 1981, he enrolled in the classical wrestling section at the Electrotechnical Institute. Karelin’s first coach, Viktor Kuznetsov, remained his only mentor for his entire sports life. In 1985, his first success came - he became the world youth champion.

Seoul 1988

In 1988, despite a concussion and high fever, Karelin became the USSR champion for the first time. For the first time he won against the leader of the USSR national team, world champion, Igor Rastorotsky. The national team's coaches were not satisfied with these results and in July 1988 an additional selection was held between the wrestlers, which was won by 21-year-old Karelin.

In the final of the Olympics in Seoul, Karelin met with the Bulgarian Rangel Gerovski. Alexander lost the first period 3:2. But in the end he won 15 seconds before the end of the fight with his favorite technique - the “reverse belt”.

1992-1996

In 1992, in the finals of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, ​​Alexander Karelin cleanly defeated the Swedish wrestler Thomas Johansson in 19 seconds. In 1993 at the World Championships, in the first fight with American wrestler Matt Ghaffari, Karelin was injured, breaking two ribs. Despite this, he again won against the same Johansson and, as a result, again became the world champion. In Atlanta, at the 1996 Games, Karelin met Matt Gaffari in the final and left him no chance.

year 2000

In 2000, in the finals of the Olympic Games in Sydney, Karelin met with American wrestler Rulon Gardner. Both periods did not reveal a winner and, according to the new rules, the wrestlers were placed in a hold - the one who releases the opponent first loses. As a result, the American wrestler won with a score of 1:0, Karelin lost his first match in 13 years and received a silver award. After the Games in Sydney, Alexander Karelin ended his sports career.

Merits

Three-time Olympic champion in the category up to 130 kg (1988, 1992, 1996), nine-time world champion (1989-1991, 1993-1995, 1997-1999), twelve-time European champion, silver medalist of the 2000 Olympic Games, world junior champion 1988 , 13-time champion of the USSR and Russia 1988-2001. He was the standard bearer of the national team at the opening of three Olympic Games: 1988 - USSR, 1992 - CIS, 1996 - Russia.

Alexander Karelin was named the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century by the International Amateur Wrestling Federation (FILA):

Knight of the Olympic Order "Golden Palm" (2001).

Since 1992, wrestling tournaments for Karelin prizes have been held in Russia.

Work and social activities

Alexander Karelin graduated from the Novosibirsk Motor Transport College, then from the Omsk Institute of Physical Culture. Since 1995, Alexander Karelin has been an employee of the Russian tax police. Rank: Tax Police Colonel.

Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation (1999, 2003, 2007). He was a member of the Duma Committee on Health and Sports, a member of the Commission on Geopolitics. Since 2001, member of the Supreme Council of the United Russia party.

Hero of the Russian Federation (1997), awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1989), Honor (2001), “For Services to the Fatherland” IV degree (2008).

Candidate (1998), Doctor (2002) of Pedagogical Sciences. Theses are devoted to sports topics.

Honorary resident of the city of Novosibirsk.

Family

Alexander Karelin dedicated all his victories to his wife Olga. His family has three children: sons Denis and Ivan, daughter Vasilisa

ESSAY ABOUT ALEXANDER KARELINA

...In 1994, a Greco-Roman wrestling match took place in Moscow between the national teams of the world and Russia. All the fights were exciting. Of particular interest was the last one, in which Alexander Karelin and who transferred to super heavyweight Olympic champion, three-time world champion weight category up to 100 kilograms Nestor Milian (Cuba). Many foreign experts then hoped that it was Milian who would be able to interrupt the series of Karelin victories. True, at the 1994 World Championships in Tampere, Milian lost to Karelin, but this defeat did not shake the Cuban’s reputation, since then, about two and a half minutes after the start of the fight, the doctor removed him due to injury.
...Milian was the first to step onto the platform. Light and powerful, he looked like a poet: a hidden sadness shone in his eyes, which, as is commonly believed, precedes the creation of a lyrical masterpiece.
Karelin, who pretended to be jogging as he rushed to the platform, looked much more down to earth. At the same time, in his movements (as he walked, Alexander lightly raked with his huge, size 49 feet) there was some kind of terrifying playfulness...
Karelin once told the author of these lines that the first seconds of a fight immediately give him information about the enemy that is impossible to obtain in advance: whether his hands are strong, what his gaze expresses, if, of course, he looks into your eyes... But to In this way to tell about yourself, the enemy must resist. And Milian, as if obeying this wish of his opponent, at first did everything he could. However, it quickly became clear that it would not last long. When Karelin unclenched Nestor’s hands, it seemed that they, like metal losing elasticity, were about to lose the ability to return to their previous position... Karelin first “rolled” his opponent, earning two points, and then in less than two minutes - laid it on his shoulder blades, having won a clear victory...
No one could stop Karelin, who moved uncontrollably from success to success. And every time it made me wonder: what explains his amazing athletic talent? Maybe higher powers really took part in Karelin’s fate? But then events probably took place in his life that defy logical explanation...

What would we do without this? There were at least two such events. The first is that I came into this world, and the second is a meeting with Viktor Mikhailovich Kuznetsov, my only coach. The guys and I were fooling around on the street, and suddenly some young, strong man with shining blue eyes invited us to the gym. I was about thirteen years old, I knew nothing about wrestling and, of course, I could not guess that from that moment my long sports career would begin.

When he became interested in sports, it did not cause much joy among his parents, Zinaida Ivanovna and Alexander Ivanovich Karelin.

I wasn't very lucky in those years. At fifteen I broke my leg. My mother then forbade me to train and even burned my uniform. You can understand her: On the eighth of March, on Women’s Day, the guys brought her my briefcase and said: “Your son is in the hospital”... Still, I managed to “posthumously” take third place at the championship of the Novosibirsk region. Well, after that I broke my hands a couple of times. Ribs - eight times. But broken ribs for a wrestler are nonsense...
Victory did not come to me right away. I can name many wrestlers who raised me. These are Vladimir Grigoriev, Igor Rastorotsky, Nikolai Makarenko... Viktor Mikhailovich Kuznetsov says that in wrestling it is not the result that is interesting, but the process itself. Great masters helped me experience this in practice. True, there were moments when, while training with them, I left the mat in tears, feeling completely powerless.

In 1987, in the final of the USSR Championship, Alexander Karelin lost to two-time world champion Igor Rastorotsky with a score of 0:1. Their next fight took place only in January 1988 in Tbilisi, where the next national championship was held. Shortly before this, Karelin received a concussion, so serious that, at the insistence of doctors, they even wanted to take the 19-year-old athlete out of hospital. Olympic team. But he still went out onto the carpet. And he managed to win against his main opponent cleanly, by touch, using two of his signature moves. But even after this, the dispute between them was not over.

They told me: “You are only nineteen. Wait. Let Igor fight, and when he’s finished, you’ll take his place.” Added to this were the tricks of the behind-the-scenes struggle... All this exhausted me. But I couldn’t come to terms with the title of second.

A month and a half before the 1988 Olympics, Karelin and Rastorotsky went to Romania together to finally find out who is who here, on a neutral site.

I walked onto the carpet, probably, with the same feeling with which gladiators entered the circus arena. All the obstacles that I had to overcome were concentrated for me in one single person. There were only he and I in the whole wide world... The score was small - 2:0, but, according to experts, my victory was convincing. That’s when, for the first time in my life, I threw my hands up and performed something like a dance...

An incredible emotional uplift was necessary for Karelin, who very strictly controls his emotions, to allow himself such freedom. After all, even having found worldwide fame, he always, if possible, tried to remain unnoticed. Here's just one example. Before the Champions Ball, held in 1993 in Moscow, Karelin, together with his friend swimmer Evgeniy Sadov, watched as the show participants prepared for the performance. When one of the girls asked him: “Who are you? What kind of sport do you do?” Karelin, pushing his comrade forward, said: “This is three-time Olympic champion Evgeniy Sadovy, and I ... his massage therapist.”
...In the final of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Karelin was supposed to meet with the Bulgarian Rangel Gerovski. Connoisseurs preferred Karelin: firstly, he represented the leading school of wrestling, and, secondly, he had already managed to loudly declare himself by winning the European Championship. However, Rangel Gerovski put yesterday's junior in his place within a second, making a throw that the judges scored three points. The wrestlers went into the break with the score 3:2 in favor of Gerovski.

Then, when I came across in books a description of the night before the execution, I could unmistakably determine whether the author was telling the truth or not, because I myself felt all this during that fight. In the second period, I frantically tried to change the course of the fight, and in my mind everything lasted and lasted “the night before the execution”... I no longer had the opportunity to try different options, and I put everything on one of my signature moves. And with 15 seconds left, my “reverse belt” worked. The wrestlers really don’t like this technique: no one likes falling from the second floor...
They raised my hand, but I felt neither joy nor satisfaction. There was a different feeling: finally the stone had fallen from my neck... When I went out into the hall, I only had enough strength to smile...

In 1992, at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, ​​the fate of the gold award was also decided in a matter of moments. Only this time - at the very beginning of the fight... In the final fight, Alexander Karelin's opponent was the Swedish heavyweight Thomas Johansson. This fight ended in 19 seconds. But her backstory lasted much longer... In 1986, Johansson won the World Championship. His success was called triumphant, because in the final Johansson prevailed over the favorite, Vladimir Grigoriev. A few months after this, the USSR national team (including Grigoriev) went to Sweden. Karelin was 18 years old at the time, and this was his first “adult” foreign tournament.

Vladimir Grigoriev and I ended up in one subgroup, and Thomas in another. I beat Grigoriev and reached the final. And here Johansson gave me a “long-lasting” gift: supposedly due to an injury, he withdrew from the competition. I saw what happened on the carpet - there was no injury. Why did Thomas let me get to the pedestal? Apparently, only because, speaking at home, I didn’t want to take risks...
Since then, we have met with Johansson more than once, but he failed to win a single point against me. The total score is more than a hundred: zero in my favor. And this is not at all explained by the fact that I was so supernaturally good. The reason is different: I suddenly felt that, even if just a little, I was superior to Johansson. And he himself was to blame for this. The loser is not the one who missed the move, but the one who is ready to lose. The inner core that defines character, it doesn’t bend - it breaks...

At the Games in Barcelona, ​​fate brought Karelin and Johansson together again in the final fight. Sasha tried not so much to suppress Thomas, - one of the most authoritative coaches Nikolai Yesin later said, - but to help him not lose his dignity in defeat and not get injured.
Johansson didn’t even try to oppose Karelin with anything.
“I didn’t take part in that fight,” he said after the final. - I just watched the superstar from the sidelines. It seemed that Johansson would never have the chance to win at least one point against Karelin. However, in 1993, at the World Championships in Stockholm, he was unexpectedly given such an opportunity... In the first fight, Karelin met with the American Matt Ghaffari.

Having won the first point, I tried to turn my opponent over and damaged two ribs from right side. The bottom one came off, the other one next to it broke. These ribs sank, putting pressure on the liver, so I always felt the taste of bile in my mouth. But I still won with a score of 3:0. He came out of the carpet completely confused. I lay down and the guys ran up to me: “Well, how are you?” Will you be filming?"
A German doctor helped me - we didn’t have one of our own at that time: when the Russian team was created instead of the USSR national team, for some reason they forgot about the doctor...

And twenty minutes later, Alexander Karelin was supposed to go on the mat against his main opponent, Thomas Johansson...

We went out, and Thomas beat me by one point: when I bent over, my broken ribs jammed and I couldn’t straighten up in time. But then I managed to pull Johansson into the reverse belt three times and throw him. The score became 12:1. Well, the rest of the fights went more or less smoothly. There were no fireworks. I gained points little by little. Didn't go wild. And in the final, Serezha Mureiko from Moldova was beaten cleanly. The ribs took a long time to grow together. For two and a half months I could neither wrestle nor lift weights, I could not even run. And it was also difficult for me to breathe deeply.

After that World Championship, Johansson said that Karelin deliberately misled everyone: you can’t fight with broken ribs like that.
And three years later, at the European Championships, Karelin again misled everyone. He then suffered a severe injury - a large pectoral muscle and a huge hematoma weighing about one and a half kilograms formed, which essentially deprived him of the ability to use his right hand. It would seem that he had no business even thinking about performing in Budapest. However, sports doctor Valery Sergeevich Okhapkin said that Karelin can go on the mat and that he takes full responsibility for any consequences of this step. And Karelin accomplished the impossible - in the full sense, he won the European Championship with his left hand. There, in Budapest, he underwent an operation that lasted two hours.

The best Hungarian orthopedists told me then: “In about nine months you will probably be able to lift a glass with your right hand.” But Valery Sergeevich had a different opinion on this matter. He came to me in Novosibirsk and for the month and a half that remained before the Olympics in Atlanta, he treated and restored me, performing up to nine procedures a day. In those days, he created a new technique that allowed as soon as possible restore the health of an athlete after a serious injury. He himself, however, never talks about this. But I always remember that he extended my sports career by at least five years...

In Atlanta, Karelin was again opposed by Matt Gaffari, who, as many thought, now nothing could stop him from taking revenge. But it seemed so only before the start of the fight, which brought Karelin his third Olympic gold...
For thirteen years, Alexander Karelin did not know defeat, but he probably felt that his “rainy day” was approaching.

I often feel like a kind of stuffed bear, the main attraction of a street photographer. Everyone wants to film with me, they let their wives down, they put their children on me... I don’t mind. This is also popularity. And if my photograph is printed somewhere, this will increase the likelihood that, say, at Sheremetyevo airport a policeman will not stop me and ask why this bald, healthy guy is hanging out here. On the contrary, he can come up and ask: “Listen, wasn’t it your photograph that I saw there and there?” But I understand that all this is fleeting. Tomorrow I will step off the platform - that’s all. The spotlights and microphones will turn off, and even if I really want to enter the beam of light again, I will not be able to...

It seems that Karelin’s amazing intuition told him in advance when and how this would happen. And maybe that’s why, before his fourth (!) Olympiad, Alexander, who by that time had become a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from the Unity party (he was one of the top three - the face of the party, which, strictly speaking, was not a party ), instead of completely concentrating on sports, he became involved, and seriously, in political activities...
In 2000, at the Sydney Olympics, Alexander Karelin lost to the American Rulon Gardner with a score of 0:1: having grabbed his opponent, Sasha suddenly unclenched his embrace for a moment, and this, according to the new rules introduced shortly before the Olympics, brought Gardner the victorious point. But why, after all, Karelin, even in the extra three minutes, could not beat the American, whom no one considered his main competitor? Karelin himself later said that he “didn’t have enough emotions.”

You feel as if you are covered in a web. And indifference sets in, or something. Yes, indifference to everything. And nothing can be done about it. Sometimes you lie down and it seems like your heart isn’t beating. And the worst thing is when you suddenly realize that you don’t want anything anymore...

After the Games in Sydney, Karelin did not have the slightest desire to justify himself, explaining his defeat for one reason or another. Experts remembered that on last championship country, which opened nine months before the Olympics, Alexander performed with a temperature of under forty and that shortly before the Games he received a costal injury and suffered complications from the flu...

Why did I lose in Sydney? There are, of course, plenty of explanations. And we can list them endlessly, but what happened should be judged by the result. No matter what I say today, it still won’t make me the first... Well, any excuses only humiliate me. About three years have passed since that defeat, but even today this is still a living topic. Just recently I became convinced of this again. At the invitation of the President of Kabardino-Balkaria, I was flying to Nalchik, and a man approached me at Domodedovo airport. “Karelin?”, he asked, looking at me. - “Karelin.” - "Don't be upset. I’ve already forgiven you for the heart attack I had after Sydney.”
For me, the defeat in Australia was a very big shock, which I could not cope with for a long time, although I was preparing for the Games in Sydney as my own last olympiad... Having arrived home, for some reason I completely forgot about my sports bag, which contained Olympic equipment. I took it apart only a year and a half later, when I suddenly needed it for some reason...
IN last years There have been a lot of events in my life. But behind their whirlwind, I cannot forget about what happened in Sydney. Even today people come up to me who dreamed that I would win, and who cannot get used to the fact that I lost. What can I answer them? Only one thing: “Sorry,” because I disappointed their expectations. A good friend of mine once told me: “In ten minutes of the final fight, you, Sasha, turned from a fighter into a playwright.” I asked, “Why?” - “Because I made half of Russia cry” And this, of course, is difficult to forgive yourself.
I hope that in five years the pain will go away. It helps me a lot that my fans have not lost their good attitude towards me - I constantly hear words of sympathy and support, and I am very pleased that many still see me first of all as an athlete, and only then as a member of the parliament of the Russian Federation.
Now I rarely have the opportunity to come to the hall, because I am in Moscow almost all the time, with the exception of those weeks when I work in the district, host a reception, meet with voters and local leadership. Now it has become much easier: there is no responsibility that I always felt when playing for the national team. I dreamed very often then hard training, and even in my dreams I heard the ringing of the barbell... Now I’m fighting only for myself. I don’t go to all these fitness clubs - the texture is not the same. I can only come to my wrestling gym... And if I see that heavyweights are training there, I always ask: “Who wants to try the deputy’s body?” And such attempts happen, but so far they have not brought success to anyone. Now I don’t see that anyone has any special desire to fight me.
I train twice a week. I run “ten” three times a week. If this is not possible, I exercise on an exercise bike.
I thought a lot about what my current position is among my brothers in wrestling. I don’t remember who suggested that struggle is a doctrine of life and that the one who is involved in the struggle is either an active fighter or just a fighter. So I am a fighter, and I will always remain one.
I want Russia to be a self-sufficient country. And I never forget that Russia is not only Moscow, it is the regions. I am outraged when I hear discussions about the “electorally unattractive part of the Russian population,” that is, about those thirty million Russians who live beyond the Urals.
The main wealth of our country is not raw materials, but people. In the Novosibirsk region, for example, there are no special natural resources with the exception of forests and a recently discovered oil field in the North, but we have three academic campuses and about a hundred different institutes - educational and research.
Unfortunately, my way of thinking and acting is not very suitable for what I do today. I’m used to deciding everything myself and at once, but the work of deputies - lawmaking - is a collective matter.
Recently, one young girl, having learned that I would not run for another term, asked: “How will you grow?” In her opinion, you can only grow in the following way: If today you are a Duma deputy, then tomorrow you should become a member of the Federation Council, and the day after tomorrow - a minister or a responsible employee of the presidential administration. But is it really impossible to grow in some other way? By supporting, for example, the best initiatives in your small homeland and creating something viable there...

This is not a complete list of titles and titles of A.A. Karelina: Honored Master of Sports in Greco-Roman wrestling, four-time USSR champion (1988-1991), CIS champion 1992, eight-time champion Russia (1993-2000), champion of the Olympic Games in Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), silver medalist of the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000), twelve-time European champion (1988-1996 and 1998-2000), nine-time world champion (1989-1991, 1993-1995 and 1997-1999). State awards: Gold Star of the Hero of Russia, Order of Friendship and Honor. Sports awards: Olympic Order “Golden Palm”, Golden Order of FILA (International Wrestling Federation), Golden Belt of the strongest wrestler on the planet. Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Colonel of the Tax Police, Deputy of the State Duma of Russia.

One could put an end to these facts. However... When preparing material about Alexander Alexandrovich Karelin, the editors expected to tell not only about the amazing sports path of this great athlete, who became one of the symbols of the power of the nation, its hero, both in the epic and in the official sense of the word - Hero of Russia. I wanted to feel and convey to the reader his emotions, human preferences, and reveal the nuances of character. We had to use the interview genre, which is not typical for our publication and is more suitable for the magazine, but therefore no less informative.

Have you ever turned to God with the words: “Lord, forgive me, a sinner...”
The fact that we are all sinners is a truth that does not require proof. But as for me, I have not yet reached the age when a person begins to doubt everything, including the rightness of his actions. I cannot say that I am a true believer, because I am young, ardent and sometimes even unbridled in my manifestations. However, from my own experience I know that confession really gives peace of mind. It is necessary to take communion and confess, but not at all in order to demonstrate to someone that you are a real Russian, and therefore you know what snow is, wear a hat with earflaps made of wild animal fur, and even go to church, without forgetting , take off this hat of yours... I think that many more years will pass before visiting temples becomes an urgent need for us. But we must strive to find it, and this will ultimately help us...
One day, when I was in seventh grade, he and I had an argument. And he said: " A real man must be physically strong, have his own view on everything and have a strong character. Well, he should cut his hair short.” Since then I have been going “bald”, although I have naturally curly hair and once even had a Cossack forelock.
Is your father a Cossack?
No. He is a Siberian peasant. I worked as a driver all my life...
Probably the most important words Karelin Sr. said to his son in Sydney, immediately after the final fight.
My father then came to the Olympics for the first time and called his mother twice a day, telling her about everything. And so, when I, unable to restrain myself, cried before the award ceremony, my father came up to me and uttered words that, if they were smoothed out a little, sounded something like this: “Son, why are you so different? All this is vanity of vanities and useless languor of the spirit. You are alive, and we are all alive. Calm down. And spit on what happened to you here.” I, of course, did not expect that my father, a driver with thirty years of experience and a former amateur boxer, would, as a consolation, quote the words of one of the Greek sages about the useless languor of the spirit...
The coach of the Russian Greco-Roman wrestling team, Shamil Khisamutdinov, did not quote Karelin. “Sanya,” he said, “four years ago, in Atlanta, only you from our entire team managed to win gold.” And this year the boys have your back. Yes, you stumbled, but this time, after losing in Atlanta in the team competition, we again became the strongest team of the Games. And this happened largely due to the fact that during all four pre-Olympic years you remained on the team and were an example of dedication and self-discipline for everyone. And the fact that our young masters Murat Kardanov and Varteres Samurgashev mined “gold” in Sydney is also your merit”...
Tell me, if you could erase this defeat from your life, would you do it?
No. This defeat is part of my life and I cannot give it up. When the Games were just over, there was talk that, they say, I needed to help - to challenge the judge’s decision, contribute some money somewhere and ensure that I was also awarded gold medal. Yes, I would never accept her. Such help is not only unnecessary, it is insulting.
...In one of my first meetings with Karelin, when I spoke to him, I did not recognize my voice: it became quiet and thin. Karelin, listening to my slurred words, smiled encouragingly, apparently having long been accustomed to the fact that people get lost in conversation with him.
If I knew Karelin better then, I would have tried to quickly cope with my “vocal insufficiency” so as not to offend the famous athlete, who, despite his fantastic power, is very vulnerable. But who would think that your voice, distorted beyond recognition, and your amazed, frightened look could touch a super-champion?
One day I finally decided to ask him:
Does your appearance bother you?
No. Everything has its time. To be understood, you have to wait.
Are you used to people getting confused when they meet you?
It's hard to get used to this. But sometimes it happens differently: I myself feel confused when I see how some people perceive me. So, for example, it happened in Sweden, where I met a wrestling lover. After the end of the competition, she, clearly under her boss, came into our locker room. She looked at me and said (her words were translated for me): “You know, in the movie “Rocky 4” I was struck by one of the characters - the Russian boxer Ivan Draga. I used to think that the filmmakers deliberately chose a scarier actor for this role in order to scare the audience with Russians. But now, having seen you, I realized that you are all like that.”
We sat with her and laughed. This Swede really made me laugh, because the “terrible Russian” was played by the Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren in that film.
- Well, how do you feel about your appearance? - I asked Sasha.
- Fine. “When I shave, I don’t faint,” Karelin answered me in all seriousness, making me wonder who he was making fun of when telling this story: at his Swedish fan, at himself, and maybe at everyone who sees him as “scary.” Russian"? I think that Karelin himself doesn’t care much about all this - he has a beautiful wife and three children - Denis, Vanya and a very little Vasilisa.
Karelin does not like to talk about her family life. When I tried to ask about this, I answered like this:
- My loved ones, of course, suffer from the fact that I have so much to do. After all, I haven’t moved a step away from the Wrestling Federation - I constantly communicate with my comrades, and if my work schedule allows it, I go to various competitions, including, of course, the Karelin Prize tournaments, which I have been holding since 1991 .
Unfortunately, because of all this, my children most often see me not at home, but on the TV screen. The eldest Denis is already accustomed to the fact that if dad doesn’t walk around the house in the morning, it means he’s already left, because all our flights are in the morning...
The famous English fairy tale says that a pig's home is his castle. These words can also be applied to me. Next to my family, I don't have to fear anything. Be completely open, be yourself. I think that I have some use in family life: I hammer nails normally and love to cook, especially fish. True, the fish must be good...
In one of the American magazines, I once read about Karelin’s “secrets”, that he enjoys running through the taiga in winter, falling waist-deep in snow. Well, maybe, I thought, there is still some truth in this Russian cranberry?
Tell me, have you ever shot at a bear?
Here in Siberia we hunt differently. With a piece of plywood and a hammer. Are you familiar with this method?
No…
You pick up a bear, it stands on its hind legs, roars and comes at you.
???
You present the plywood to him, he punches it with his claws, and you carefully bend them with a hammer. All. The bear is yours.
In general, I manage to go hunting no more than once a year. True, the ardor of a breadwinner, which I inherited from my ancestors, fades away after the first shots. I don’t hunt because I’m obsessed with the desire to track down, for example, a deer and kill it. Hunting is time spent searching, winter huts in the taiga, fires... And this is the greatest pleasure you can have in life - communicating with people you know well. And, finally, this indescribable feeling of kinship with your ancestors, who in time immemorial also passed through these places.
What comes to mind now when you think about these hikes?
Blue water, cedars, a fire... A light frost only enhances the smell of pine needles, and the smoke of a fire gives everything a feeling of being lived in. Here, near Novosibirsk, the earth smells special, and the water glows at night...
Probably many would like to become your friends. And for you, if you meet someone, does it matter whether this person is rich or not?
It doesn't, of course. But you always want good people to also have money.
What don't you like about yourself?
Much. But most of all - suspiciousness.
Are you afraid of anything?
Heights, probably. I hate looking down from a skyscraper window. And I am also very afraid of insincerity. If, say, you treat a person well, then you want him to respond to you in kind. But sometimes it happens that, before determining his line of behavior towards you, he begins to evaluate your connections and opportunities, wondering whether this is beneficial for him or not.
Siberians - in everything they do - have a special measuredness and restraint. Not because they are frozen, no. These people became like this because their inner essence was formed under the influence of Siberia, its vast spaces, its scale, which protect you from the danger of overestimating yourself, exaggerating the significance of what you have done.
Once, for example, I read in one central newspaper that Karelin supposedly has a luxurious mansion with a guest house and a huge marble swimming pool. After that, I started building a pool in my yard. True, not marble... Otherwise, I think some people who read that article will come to me, but I don’t have a pool...
Since when did you start working in the tax police?
Since 1995.
What attracted you to this job?
Our the main task- forecasting and prompt identification of crimes against the state related to tax evasion. When I arrived, the tax police were just being created, and it was very interesting for me to participate in all this.
About ten years ago, Karelin said that he would like to become a lawyer. In response, I noted that this desire is unlikely to be realized, since it is probably impossible to both compete in top-ranking tournaments and study legal sciences..
To come to terms with this means to betray yourself. What if at sixty years old, when you remember your old dreams, you feel ashamed? After all, you did not learn what you should have learned during the time that was allotted to you. No, it’s better if it’s difficult for me now... I didn’t give up my desire, but only because of my weakness of character I gave myself a reprieve. I'm not convinced, however, that my attempt - if I decide to do it - will be successful. But then at least I can say: I tried, but it didn’t work...
While working on my dissertation, I simultaneously managed to graduate from the University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and receive a diploma in law.
One should not admire Karelin’s extraordinary versatility in his presence: in such words Alexander always seems to hear a condescending whisper: “Wow, he’s an athlete, but he can also do something, like all normal people.” But in a conversation with him it is not difficult to find out that he loves English and American literature and knows Dostoevsky very well; if he especially likes an author, he always tries to get hold of his biography in order to superimpose the events of the writer’s life onto his works, like tracing paper.
The famous film director Steven Spielberg said in one of his interviews that the duty of an artist is to understand himself as best as possible in order to become himself. In addition, he noted that if he assessed himself the same way as the audience, he would have long ago lost the ability to create something new and would constantly imitate the “great Spielberg.” Well, since sport is very close to art, I would like to ask you: have you already gotten the feeling that you have become yourself?
Sometimes it happens. But I'm still just at the beginning of my journey. I also like Spielberg’s statement about the audience. If I looked at myself the same way my fans look at me, then I would probably swell with self-satisfaction every time they show me their delight.
How are your relationships with those you meet in the corridors of power?
Today I can go anywhere in jeans and a sweater. And for me this is a kind of test to check whether I am interesting today as a person for my interlocutors. If, before some reception, they make it clear to me that I definitely need to wear a suit and tie, this will mean that no one needs me, on my own...
Which figure of Russian history is closest to you?
Stolypin. He did not wait for the country to warm up to his ideas. He was not shy about talking about what was unpopular. I have read two of his biographies and am currently studying the third. Pyotr Arkadyevich said a lot and anticipated a lot. And, in particular, he showed how to talk to the Duma...
If only it were possible to find a book that would answer all the questions... But there is none, so you have to read a lot, maybe even too much. True, you get knowledge about life not only from books. For example, I have always been lucky to find interesting and kind people who amazed me with their sincerity. And this is probably the most attractive feature of Russians.
When does your soul feel especially good?
When I am surrounded by normal people without any special creases or kinks. I like a calm, measured life, when you can, for example, just come to a cafe and, sitting with a cup of coffee, read a newspaper. I would like those who surround me to also be confident in their future: it is difficult to live among people who are constantly tormented by fears. I want everyone to feel warm. Only then can we talk about simple, everyday happiness.

Member of the State Duma Committee on Energy. Member of the State Duma Commission on Deputy Ethics.
Russian athlete, wrestler classic style. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.
Three-time Olympic champion, 1988, 1992, 1996. Hero of the Russian Federation.

Alexander Karelin was born on September 19, 1967 in the city of Novosibirsk. At the age of 13, he began training in classical wrestling at METI in the Burevestnik sports society. Karelin’s first coach, Viktor Kuznetsov, remained his only mentor for his entire sports life. After only three years of training, in 1984, Alexander fulfilled the standard for Master of Sports of the USSR; in 1985, his first success came - Karelin became the world champion among youth, thereby fulfilling the standard for Master of Sports of the USSR of international class.

In 1985, the young man graduated from the Novosibirsk Motor Transport College and entered the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School of the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs; at the end of the first year of study, he was transferred to the sports company of the Siberian Military District.

In 1986 he was enrolled in national team THE USSR. In 1988 he won his first gold medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. With his first victory at the Olympic Games, the Russian wrestler began a unique winning streak: for 12 years he did not lose a single tournament. Moreover, in battles with him, his opponents won only a minimum number of points. In 1991 he graduated from the Omsk Institute of Physical Culture and Sports. In 1992 he won his second gold medal at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, ​​Spain.

Since 1992, Karelin has headed the public organization KarelinFond, which promotes sports and healthy image life. In 1995, after the creation of the Federal Tax Police Service, he joined the FSNP Directorate in Moscow as a leading department specialist physical protection. By decision of the leadership of the Federal Tax Service, he continued to serve in his native Novosibirsk. In December 1995, he was awarded the special rank of “Tax Police Colonel”.

In 1996 he won his third gold medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA. By decree of the President of the Russian Federation on August 26, 1996, for outstanding achievements in sports, courage and heroism shown at the Games of the XXVI Olympiad in 1996, Alexander Alexandrovich Karelin was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation with the presentation of the Gold Star medal.

In November 1998, he defended his dissertation at the St. Petersburg Academy of Physical Culture named after Lesgaft for the scientific degree candidate of pedagogical sciences on the topic “Methodology for conducting countermeasures against deflection throws.” Since July 1999 he has been a sports advisor and physical culture Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation. In December 1999, he won the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the third convocation. After being elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, he wrote a report on his dismissal from the Federal Tax Service of Russia.

In 2000, he came to his fourth Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Few doubted that the great wrestler would become a four-time Olympic champion. But a sensation broke out in Sydney, making American wrestler Rulon Gardner famous. Nobody expected Gardner to win, after which the American wrestler told reporters: “Karelin is a god. He was and will remain the best fighter. And I'm just an Olympic champion. And I will go down in history not as Rulon Gardner, but as the winner of Alexander Karelin.”

In May 2002, at the Lesgaft Academy of Physical Culture, Karelin defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences on the topic “The system of integral training of highly qualified wrestlers.”

In addition to victories at the Olympics, he also became a nine-time world champion (1989-1991, 1993-1995, 1997-1999), a twelve-time European champion (1988-1996, 1998-2000), a thirteen-time champion of the USSR, CIS and Russia (1988-2000), two-time winner of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, four-time winner of the Golden Belt of the strongest wrestler on the Planet (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994).

Alexander Alexandrovich Karelin is recognized as the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century by the International Amateur Wrestling Federation. He is one of the 25 best athletes in the world of the 20th century. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. Honorary citizen of the city of Novosibirsk. Awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples, Honor, and the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree. Knight of the Olympic Order "Golden Palm".

Alexander Alexandrovich Karelin - Associate Professor. Full member of the Petrovsky Academy of Sciences and Arts. Full member (academician) of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. Full member of the International Academy for the Integration of Science and Business. He was awarded the Soviet Order of Friendship of Peoples, the Russian Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree, the Order of Honor, and medals. Has many honorary certificates.

In 2003, he was elected to the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the fourth convocation. In December 2007 - deputy of the State Duma of the fifth convocation. Since December 21, 2011 - deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the sixth convocation. He was a member of the Duma Committee on Health and Sports, a member of the Commission on Geopolitics. Since 2007, he joined the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.

In the elections on September 18, 2016, Karelin Alexander Alexandrovich was elected as a Deputy of the State Duma of the VII convocation from electoral district 0137, Iskitimsky - Novosibirsk region. Member of the United Russia faction. Member of the State Duma Committee on Energy. Member of the State Duma Commission on Deputy Ethics. The start date of the term is September 18, 2016.

Awards and Titles of Alexander Karelin

Awards and titles of the USSR:

Master of Sports of the USSR (1984)

International Master of Sports of the USSR (1985)

Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1988)

Order of Friendship of Peoples (1989)

Awards and titles in Russia:

Winner of the Fair Play movement prize for fair play in sports, founded by the Russian Olympic Committee

Tax Police Colonel (1995)

Hero of the Russian Federation (1997)

Twice he was recognized as the best athlete of Russia.

In September 1997 he was recognized as man of the year in Novosibirsk

Order of Honor (2001),

Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2008),

Certificate of Honor from the President of the Russian Federation (2013).

Honorary resident of the city of Novosibirsk. Has the insignia “For Services to the Novosibirsk Region”

In 2013, in honor of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of A.I. Pokryshkin, he was awarded the Pokryshkin medal.

Medal “Participant of the military operation in Syria” (2016)

Order of Merit for the Republic of Dagestan (September 13, 2017) - for services to development wrestling

Foreign awards:

“Golden Belt” best wrestler on the planet (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994)

The International Amateur Wrestling Federation named Alexander Karelin the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century.

Knight of the Olympic Order (2001) (IOC).

"Golden Bough" (2002) (FILA)

"Member of the FILA Hall of Fame"

Born on September 19, 1967 in the city of Novosibirsk. His father worked as a dump truck driver, his mother was an employee. Russian.

Studied in 137th high school Novosibirsk. He began training in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1981 at the Burevestnik sports society. In 1984 he fulfilled the standard for Master of Sports of the USSR, in 1985 - the standard for Master of Sports of the International class.

In 1985 he graduated from the Novosibirsk Motor Transport College. In the same year he entered the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School Internal troops Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, and at the end of the same year he was transferred to the sports company of the Siberian Military District.

In 1986 he was enrolled in the USSR national team.

In 1988, he became the national champion for the first time, although he received a concussion and struggled with a temperature of 39 degrees.

In 1988 he won his first Olympic medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul. In 1992 he won his second Olympic medal at the Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Since April 1995, he served in the Main Directorate of Physical Protection of the Federal Tax Police Service of Russia as a chief specialist, colonel of the tax police.

In 1996 he won his third Olympic medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

By decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated August 26, 1996, Alexander Aleksandrovich Karelin was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation for outstanding achievements in sports, courage and heroism shown at the 1996 Olympic Games.

On September 27, 2000, at the Olympics in Sydney (Australia), he won a silver medal in the Greco-Roman wrestling competition in the 130 kilogram weight category.

Graduated from the Omsk Institute of Physical Education, Novosibirsk Pedagogical Institute. In 1998, he defended his Ph.D. thesis on the topic “Methods of conducting countermeasures against deflection throws” at the St. Petersburg Academy of Physical Culture named after. Lesgafta.

In 2001 he graduated from St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. On May 14, 2002, Alexander Karelin defended his doctoral dissertation at the St. Petersburg Academy of Physical Culture. Lesgaft on the topic “System of integral training of highly qualified wrestlers”, and became a Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences.

Assistant professor. Full member (academician) of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, full member (academician) of the Petrovsky Academy of Sciences and Arts, full member of the International Academy for the Integration of Science and Business.

Sports achievements: three-time Olympic champion, nine-time world champion (1989-1991, 1993-1995, 1997-1999), twelve-time European champion (1988-1996, 1998-2000), 2000 Olympic silver medalist, 1988 world junior champion . Since 1988, the permanent (thirteen-time) champion of the country - the USSR, the CIS and Russia.

In 1988, 1992 and 1996 he was the standard bearer of the Olympic team (USSR, CIS and Russia).

Honored Master of Sports in Greco-Roman wrestling. He is included in the Guinness Book of Records as an athlete who has not lost a single fight for thirteen years. The International Wrestling Federation officially recognized him as the best Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century. Vice-President of the Russian Wrestling Federation.

State awards: Order of Friendship, Honor, “For Services to the Fatherland” 4th degree, Gold Star of the Hero of Russia.

Sports awards: Olympic Order “Golden Palm”, Golden Order of FILA (International Wrestling Federation), four-time winner of the golden belt of the strongest wrestler on the planet, winner of many major tournaments, winner of the Fair Play movement prize for fair play.

Since 1992, the traditional youth Greco-Roman wrestling tournament “Karelin Prize” has been held in different cities of Western Siberia.

In 1993, he co-initiated the creation of the Novosibirsk regional public fund “Karelin-Fond”, which promotes sports and a healthy lifestyle.

Since 1998 - honorary citizen of the city of Novosibirsk.

In December 1999 and 2003, he was elected to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. In the State Duma he became a member of the United Russia faction. Member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.

Since July 1999, he has been Advisor on Sports and Physical Culture to the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation; is a member of the Council for Physical Education and Sports under the President of Russia.

In January 2000, he headed the Novosibirsk regional branch of the Unity movement. Member of the Supreme Council of the political party "United Russia". He is a member of the Russian Book Union.